Monopoly Millionaires' Club
Monopoly Millionaires' Club was a lottery game show based on the board game, Monopoly. Gameplay Holders of the game's scratch-off tickets (formerly winners of a 2nd Chance online drawing; as it began as a number draw game) were divided into audience sections, each represented by a token from the classic Monopoly board game. Five sections were used throughout the series run, except for a short time at the beginning of Season 2 in which only three were used. A series of games were played, largely based on properties and spaces used in the board game. Each game was played by a member of a different audience section; he/she kept half of any winnings, with the other half divided evenly among the other 40 winners in that section (similar to NY Wired). Each game had a top prize of $50,000 for both the player and the winners in their section. Games *'Advance to Boardwalk' – One of the show's models stood at one end of a 14-space path, holding a giant token that corresponded to the player's audience section. The player would roll a giant die to determine how far the model moved on each turn. The space at the far end was Boardwalk, and the other spaces were marked in steps of $1,000, starting at $1,000 on the model's end and increasing to $13,000. The amount she landed on was added to the bank, and the number rolled was taken out of play. The player was given one "Roll Again" token, which he/she could use to continue the game after rolling a previously used number, but the model didn't move on that turn. A second such roll ended the game and forfeited the banked money. Any rolls higher than the number of spaces needed to reach Boardwalk were wasted. The player won by reaching Boardwalk exactly, and could stop after any turn and take the banked money. The game continued as long as there were still numbers in play that would allow the model to move toward or onto Boardwalk without overshooting. If no usable numbers remained, the game would end early and the player received the banked money. *'Bank Buster' – The player faced a bank vault secured with six locks, each worth a different amount ($6,000, $7,000, $8,000, $9,000, $10,000, and $20,000). He/she would choose one key at a time from a set of twelve (two for each lock), and one of the models inserted it into the vault's key slot to determine the lock it matched. Finding the first key for a lock would open it and add its value to the bank, but finding the second key would close the lock again and deduct the value. The player won by opening five locks at once, but closing two would end the game and forfeit the banked money. After any turn, the player could end the game and take the banked money. *'Block Party' – The player would face a board of twelve cards. Eight were marked with colors and dollar amounts representing the property groups on the Monopoly board (Brown (replacing purple): $1,000/Light Blue: $2,000/Pink: $3,000/Orange: $4,000/Red: $5,000/Yellow: $6,000/Green: $10,000/Dark Blue: $20,000). Three cards were strikes, and one was a "Block Party" card. The player would choose one card at a time; if he/she found a color group, it would light up and its value was added to the bank. The Block Party card allowed the player to claim all unlit groups on any one side of the board, with the corresponding cards removed from play. The player suffered no penalty for finding the first strike; from this point on, he/she could quit after any turn and take the banked money. The second strike would cut the money accumulated so far in half, and the third one would end the game and forfeit all the money. If the player claimed all eight groups, he/she won. *'Community Chest' – Ten community chests were presented, each filled with dollar amounts ranging from $500-$5,000. On each turn, the player would pick one chest; once its amount was revealed, the values of all remaining chests were doubled (up to the maximum prize). After an amount was revealed, the player could either stop and keep the money, or give it back and pick another chest. However, if the player's next pick was less than the amount given back, the game would end, and the player won nothing. **For Season 2, the amounts ranged from $0 to $6,000, and the goal was to bank a total of at least $50,000 in four turns. As before, the chest values doubled after each turn; following the third turn, the player could either stop and keep the banked total or pick a fourth chest. If the final bank was at least $50,000, the player and section each won it; if not, he/she lost everything. *'Electric Company' - The player would face a game board of 25 light bulbs and a panel of 10 switches, each of which would light up a different number of bulbs from 1 to 10. All bulbs were initially turned off, and the top right bulb was red. The first ten were worth $50 apiece, the next five each added $100 to the total, #16 was worth an additional $4,000, #17-#21 each added $5,000, #22 and #23 were each worth $10,000, and #24 was worth the remaining $50,000. The player would throw one switch at a time, lighting bulbs from left to right starting on the bottom row and working up to the top. He or she could stop at any time once the possibility of lighting the red light bulb (#25) was present, since lighting it would cause a blackout, end the game, and forfeit the bank. If every remaining switch would light the red bulb, the game would end early and the player received the banked total. **For the first six taped episodes of Season 1, the switches were all red and numbered from 1 to 10, while the amounts under the bulbs resembled the large display above them. For all other shows, the switches were color-coded and the displays now showed the number of light bulbs lit, plus the amounts under the bulbs were easier to read. **Inspired in part by Cliff Hangers in The Price is Right. *'No Vacancy' – The player had to try to fill a hotel that had three floors and seven rooms per floor. On each turn, he/she chose one of five limousines, each holding a different number of passengers from one to five, and had to place them all on the same floor (one person per room). The player would bank money for each room filled: $1,000 on the first floor, $2,000 on the second, $3,000 on the third. Filling all 21 rooms won the game, but if the player found a group of passengers too large to fit onto any floor, the game would end and all money was lost. Once every floor had at least three filled rooms, the player could stop after any turn and take the banked money. **The game is inspired in part by the bonus round in Catch 21. *'Park It' – Ten colored cars were used, each worth a different amount from $1,000 to $10,000 in $1,000 increments. On each turn, the player would choose a car, whose value was revealed and added to the bank, and had to decide where to park it in a five-level garage (one car per level). Parking a lower-valued car above a higher-valued one was not allowed. Successfully filling the garage won the game, but if the player chose a car that couldn't be legally parked, the game would end and all money was lost. After any turn where there was any danger, the player could stop and take the banked money. *'Ride the Rails' – Ten different railroad names were listed, the first four of which were Monopoly railroads. Each railroad had a model train with a different number of green cash cars attached, from 1 to 10, plus a red caboose. The player would choose a railroad and watch as its train pulled into view, one car at a time. By pressing the button, the player could stop the train at any time and bank money for all the exposed cash cars. However, if the caboose appeared before the player pressed the button, no money was banked for the railroad line. Once the player stopped a train, it would pull fully into view to show the total number of cash cars attached to it. The player had four turns, with increasing cash car values of $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, and $5,000, and the idea was to bank at least $50,000 altogether. If the player failed to do so, he/she still received the banked money. Go For a Million The finale of each show, where one player would give up his/her winnings (including the half shared with the audience section) for a chance to win up to $1,000,000 as well as various bonus prizes. Only the player willing to give up the most money would play this game; all others kept their winnings. On the first six taped episodes of Season 1, the players stood on the board and revealed their decisions in ascending order of winnings. For the rest of the series, they remained seated in their respective audience sections, and Billy would ask them in descending order of winnings until one volunteer decided to play. If two or more players had the same total and no one ahead of them volunteered, each one had to decide whether to take the risk. In the event of a tie between highest-scoring volunteers, a randomizer was used to determine which one played. If none of the players who won money chose to play, then the ones with no winnings become eligible. The rules were similar to those for the 1990 version's bonus game. The player started at GO and had five turns to complete one trip around the board. Two dice were rolled on a shaker table called the "Monopoly Rock-and-Roller," which the player stopped by pressing a button. Rolling doubles awarded an extra turn; however, as in the board game, rolling three doubles in a row would send the player to Jail and end the game with no winnings. With the exception of Mediterranean Avenue, which couldn't be landed on due to being only one space past GO, all colored properties awarded cash as shown below. Brown: *Baltic Ave.: $2,000 Light Blue: *Oriental Ave.: $2,500 *Vermont Ave.: $3,000 *Connecticut Ave.: $4,000 Magenta: *St. Charles Place: $5,000 *States Ave.: $6,000 *Virginia Ave.: $7,000 Orange: *St. James Place: $8,000 *Tennessee Ave.: $9,000 *New York Ave.: $10,000 Red: *Kentucky Ave.: $12,000 *Indiana Ave.: $13,000 *Illinois Ave.: $14,000 Yellow: *Atlantic Ave.: $15,000 *Ventnor Ave.: $16,000 *Marvin Gardens: $17,000 Green: *Pacific Ave.: $18,000 *North Carolina Ave.: $19,000 *Pennsylvania Ave.: $20,000 Dark Blue: *Park Place: $30,000 *Boardwalk: $40,000 Other spaces awarded various prizes or started mini-games: *'Railroads' – For Season 1, each railroad awarded a different trip. In Season 2, each railroad gave a choice of three tunnels, two with trips and one with "Lose a Roll." *'Electric Company' – The player's electric bills were paid for one year. *'Water Works' – The player would choose one of four faucets, each awarding a different water-related prize (hot tub, jet ski, trip to Hawaii, etc.) *'Chance/Community Chest' – The player would choose one of four cards that could award bonuses or penalties. On the side between "Go to Jail" and GO, one "Advance to GO" and one "Go to Jail" were in each set of four. *'Just Visiting' – For Season 1, the player won a trip. For Season 2, the player would choose one of two jail cells, receiving either a trip or "Lose a Roll." *'Free Parking' – Four parking meters were presented, three of which had automotive-themed prizes (a new car, a year's worth of free gasoline, etc.). For Season 1, the fourth meter was "expired" (no prize), while Season 2 changed this to "Lose a Roll." *'Income Tax' – This space awarded cash or an extra roll. *'Luxury Tax' – For Season 1, the player would choose one of two ring boxes; one box would cut the cash total in half, and the other took it all away. In Season 2, the space would cut the cash total in half and end the game immediately. Prizes were not affected under either set of rules. *'Go to Jail' – This space ended the game and took away all cash and prizes (as did rolling three doubles in a row or drawing a "Go to Jail" card from Chance or Community Chest). If the player hit "Lose a Roll" at any point, it was taken out of play at all other spaces for which it was a possible result. If the player ran out of rolls without reaching GO or going to Jail, he/she kept the prizes & split the money with the audience section. Passing GO awarded $100,000 for both the player and the section, while landing exactly on GO awarded $1,000,000 to the player and $200,000 to the section ($300,000 in episodes 6 and 14). Upon winning the million, the models presented the contestant with a diamond-encrusted Rich Uncle Pennybags/Mr. Monopoly Top Hat. Four players won the million in the show's two seasons. At-Home Element In addition to the studio game, co-host Todd Newton would play a game with a player from one of the MMC states, all with a top prize of $10,000. Two such games were played per episode in Season 1, and one in Season 2. *'Cash Register' – The player was spotted $1 and would pick two of six keys on a cash register. Three keys each added one zero to the total, while the other three each added two zeroes. The player won the final resulting amount. *'Money Bags' - The player would pick two bags from a set of eight, two each containing $50, $100, $500, and $1,000. If the amounts in the two bags matched, the player won $10,000; if not, he/she won their sum ($150, $550, $600, $1,050, $1,100, or $1,500). A ninth, empty bag was added for Season 2. *'Hotels' – The player would choose two of four blueprints, each hiding a certain number of hotels, and won $10,000 for finding five altogether. Otherwise, he/she won $250 per hotel. Four blueprints were used in Season 1, each with a different number of hotels from zero to three; a fifth blueprint, also with one hotel, was added for Season 2. Studios The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV (Season 1) Bally's Hotel, Las Vegas, NV (Season 2) Inventors Kevin Belinkoff Todd P. Levitt Steve Saferin, of Scientific Games Property Rating Trivia On December 26, 2014, the Monopoly Millionaires' Club drawings were discontinued due to low ticket sales, but it was later revived as a $5 scratch-off card. The TV show, however, went on as planned. Local Las Vegas stations did not air the show due to the fact that there is no lottery in Nevada. The show was scheduled to air on GSN beginning March 31, 2015, but was replaced by Shop 'Til You Drop in the morning slot and a rerun of The Chase in the afternoon slot. For whatever reason, seemingly at the last minute, these listings were pulled from the advance schedules and the show's page was removed from GSN's website. Furthermore, the show's website has removed all references to GSN. For the entirety of Season 1 (12 episodes), the series ran for an hour with five games played followed by "GO For a Million". Season 2 cut the timeslot to a half-hour, with just three games followed by "GO For a Million". Repeats aired with some frequency: after Season 1 finished airing on June 13, 2015, the episodes were rerun in order through September 5. Season 2 aired repeats from November 28, 2015 through January 2, 2016; January 23, 2016; February 6, 2016; and March 26 through April 30, 2016. In all cases, the uploads on the official YouTube channel (see below) had their names edited to reflect the repeat dates. This show was different than other lottery shows in that instead of airing in a specific state, it aired in all states that had a lottery, regardless of whether it partcipated or not. Gallery Monopoly-millionaires-club-04.jpg Monopoly-millionaires-club-02 1200x800.jpg Monopoly-millionaires-club-01.jpg Monopoly-millionaires-club-03.jpg For videos of the show: click here. See Also Monopoly Links Official Site GSN website (via Internet Archive) YouTube Channel Category:Board Game Conversion Category:Lottery Category:Gambling Category:Big Prize Category:Syndicated shows Category:Short-Running Category:Flops Category:2015 premieres Category:2016 endings